"I felt leading BSU was
something I wanted to do and believed I could do with the support of black students.
I love working to make the campus a better place for all students."

--Keisha Carter,
UK Black Student Union
president-elect

Dec.
4, 2000  (Lexington, Ky.) Keisha
Carter feels the pain of the two U.S. presidential candidates locked in debate over this
years presidential election. Shes been in the same place.

Carter,
a senior political science and history student at the University of Kentucky, was named
president of the UK Black Student Union this fall following a hotly contested election. In
the election, Carter tied with opponent Eshoe Edogun, each having the same number of
votes.In a second election, the same thing
happened. The Executive Board of the Black Student Union was then asked to pick the
president, and Carter got the nod.

It
was a long road getting here, but very much worth it, Carter said. I felt
leading BSU was something I wanted to do and believed I could do with the support of black
students. I love working to make the campus a better place for all students.

Carter,
of Lexington, has been very active on campus during her four years at UK. In addition to
participating in BSU, she has served as a representative on the Student Government
Association and with the Nubian Council and is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. She
also works part-time jobs at Ruby Tuesdays and with collegeimpact.com. Her reasons
for running for BSU president were the three Cs  connection, cooperation and
community.

Our
African-American organizations must start working together to get students involved,
she said. We also need to work more with other campus groups and alumni.

To
work on the community angle, Carter and the BSU have several events planned for the year.
The members served dinner to the communitys homeless at Consolidated Baptist Church
Nov. 15, sponsored a thanksgiving dinner for the campus community Nov. 16 and hosted a
holiday party Dec. 2 along with the UK chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers.
The group also hopes to expand the Lyman T. Johnson Banquet, an annual spring event it
hosts honoring UKs black students, faculty and staff for their achievements. Other
annual events organized by BSU include the Fall Festival in August, Apollo Night in the
spring, the Mr. and Ms. Black UK Pageant in the fall and various speakers throughout the
year.

Some
students say they dont know what to do or where to go in this community to get
involved, she said. UK is going to be home for at least four years, and we
want them to feel that it is their home and community, not just a school. Getting active
through the BSU and other activities gives you that connection you need.

The
group also is reaching out and connecting with more alumni. The banquet allows some
connection, but more is needed, Carter said. During Homecoming, BSU hosted an alumni
tailgate that connected many students and alumni.

The
perspective and support of alumni can be very helpful to our students, Carter said.
It is enriching to bring them into our lives.

A
key goal for Carters presidency was to continue to increase student participation in
the union. The previous president Clyde Pickett increased membership to the largest in BSU
history. Carter plans to build on that.

If
we coordinate with other groups and make sure we meet on different days and work together
to support each other, we can all gain members, she said.

Participating
in BSU is a great way to find friendship and support, and its not just for black
students, Carter said.

It
gives black students a home and family away from home, she said. It gives all
students a place to go to expand horizons and understanding. It can open your eyes to many
new things around you.

Carter
is the daughter of Mona Carter of Lexington and is a graduate of Henry Clay High School.